Shakespeare Theatre Company Announces New Digital Programming THE SHAKESPEARE HOUR

Shakespeare Theatre Company is excited to announce The Shakespeare Hour, a month-long online tour through every corner of the Shakespeare universe (April 22 - May 13).

Each Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., Shakespeare Theatre Company's Artistic Director Simon Godwin and Resident Dramaturg Drew Lichtenberg and will examine the world of Shakespeare and our own by discussing two plays from the Shakespearean canon which speak to each other thematically, dramaturgically, and historically. Special guests and friends of the STC extended family will also drop by. The sessions are free for STC members, season subscribers, and package holders, and only $10 per session for non-members.

"All the internet has become a stage. Shakespeare is the electricity fueling our work. Now we have new portals to share his energizing and uplifting vision," Godwin explains about the decision to move programming online. "Shakespeare himself suffered isolation and closures due to disease. As we live cloistered in our own imaginations, his wisdom can help us through. 'There is infinite space in a nutshell' says Hamlet. The Shakespeare Hour is one such nutshell. In weekly broadcasts, audiences can travel the classical universe and discover cosmic spaces. Shakespeare looks in both directions, inside our hearts and out into new worlds. Now is the perfect moment to embark on a soul-expanding journey into what makes Shakespeare more illuminating and inspiring than ever."

The series will begin on April 22 with "Romance & Magic," a discussion about Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream with special guest Finn Wittrock who was last seen at STC in 2008, playing Romeo in an all-male production of Romeo & Juliet. He also played Demetrius in a 2017 film adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, directed by Casey Wilder Mott. He is also known for his performances in Ryan Murphy's FX series American Horror Story.

In this inaugural session, the hosts will discuss Shakespeare's two early masterpieces and why they remain such popular and beloved works. As a new member of the Lord Chamberlain's Men, Shakespeare helps change our understanding of tragedy and comedy, teenage identity, and the magical experience of nature. The discussion will consider Shakespeare's 'lyric' period, what makes these works different from what came before, and Simon's thoughts on directing Romeo and Juliet for The National Theatre.

The Shakespeare Hour is one of the elements of Shakespeare Everywhere, a new platform for engaging with audiences through digital offerings and innovative new content. While the theatres remain closed, STC's staff have been busy reimagining STC as a virtual theatre organization. Shakespeare Everywhere will allow STC to share the inspiration of the classics in homes throughout the District and across the globe.

Please visit The Shakespeare Hour for more information or to RSVP.

Join hosts Simon Godwin (STC Artistic Director) and Drew Lichtenberg (STC Resident Dramaturg) for The Shakespeare Hour, a month-long tour through every corner of the Shakespeare universe. Each week, the hosts will examine the world of Shakespeare and our own by discussing two plays from the Shakespearean canon which speak to each other thematically, dramaturgically, and historically. Special guests and friends of the STC extended family will also drop by.

In Shakespeare's lifetime, the theaters were closed periodically due to plague outbreaks. Our first three sessions discuss plays written during or just after a few of these closures, which correspond closely to leaps in Shakespeare's craft and a series of masterpieces.

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